Life Enriched Through Music
Programs & Services
For more than 35 years Maya's Music Therapy Fund has combined the power of music with the dedication and skills of a talented, board-certified music therapist, Titia Martin-Nagel, MT-BC—and our clients reap the benefits. Collaborating with agencies that serve clients from Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties in Northern California, Maya’s Music Therapy Fund works with people with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, brain injury, hearing and vision impairment, ADHD, Rett syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. In 2021 we were able to expand services and bring on our second music therapist, Rob Cheifetz, MA, MT-BC. We are providing individual and group sessions virtually as well as in-person.
Our music therapists work toward specific, individualized, non-musical goals including improved communication skills, decreased inappropriate behavior, enhanced academic and motor skills, increased attention span, strengthened social and leisure skills, pain management and stress reduction.
Experiencing the unique power of music to engage our brains and our bodies, clients gain physical and social skills while building self-esteem and confidence during individual and group music therapy sessions.
"The lessons she receives at MMTF are enormous. She eagerly looks forward to this activity as one of her favorite things to do. Working with MMTF has helped build her confidence and zest for life."
- parent of MMTF client
List of Services
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Individual Music Therapy SessionsList Item 1
Providing one-on-one attention and the opportunity to explore issues in depth, one half-hour at a time, our music therapists help to increase muscle control and body awareness by combining movement and gestures with music. Clients enhance self-esteem and communication skills while playing musical instruments or singing. Instruments are adapted as needed to help clients develop to their fullest potential.
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Group Music Therapy SessionsList Item 2
Participants sing together a variety of folk, spiritual and popular songs. Since participants have varying levels of verbal abilities, group singing provides a context for interaction and social engagement. Group sessions provide opportunities for decision making as participants choose songs and music leaders. Both individual and group music therapy sessions are important emotional outlets for clients.
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Maya's Spring Music FestivalList Item 3
Group and individual music therapy sessions culminate in the annual Maya's Spring Music Festival. Each year this allows the MMTF participants to celebrate their talents and accomplishments with an enthusiastic audience of supportive friends and families. The thrill of being part of the Festival and performing for a large audience also increases client self-esteem and confidence.
Partnerships
Maya's Music Therapy Fund collaborates with and expands the opportunities at existing programs for people with disabilities. Titia and Rob work with participants of Richmond's Developing Personal Resources Center (DPRC), Community Access Program-Hilltop, East Bay Innovations, Inclusive Community Resources, and Toolworks. These programs allow us to serve clients from Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Francisco Counties.
Additionally, group sessions at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley (adjacent to the Ashby BART station) have enabled us to serve a wider geographic area than ever before in a fully accessible facility.
Thanks to a grant received from the California Arts Council, we have also added two after-school group music therapy sessions at the George Miller Centers in Hilltop and Concord for youth.
Learn more about Maya's Music Therapy Fund activities by reading
ournewsletters.
We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Tax-ID 94-3232408